Hidden In The Shadows
by MissingMommy
Summary: The Blacks has and always will put blood purity above everything else. :: Chapter 6: "But letting Sirius walk out the door without a goodbye is what he deserves, and Regulus is going to give that to him." :: various family relations.
1. bellatrixvoldemort

Bellatrix always leads and never follows. Except when it comes to the Dark Lord. She follows him out of loyalty. No one receives that from her, not even her own husband. Because she's devoted to the Dark Lord and the cause he stands for.

And, maybe, it's because he empowers her. Because, at his side, Bellatrix is even more terrifying and powerful than she is without him. And she knows it. It's thrilling and deeply satisfying.

So out of loyalty, and maybe a little drunken power, she raises her wand to torture the unfit and the unworthy in his name, in his honor. But the twisted grin that graces her face isn't because of her loyalty; it's because of the exhilaration and pleasure she gets from doing _it_, from honoring the Dark Lord.

She'll do anything for him, for _her_ Dark Lord, because she's completely loyal to him.

**A/n – written for the 10 drabbles, 10 topics and the family boot camp – Blacks. Topic number 2: het pairing – Bellatrix/Voldemort. Prompt used: satisfying.**

**Bunch of thanks to l0stinl0ve who beta'd this for me. **

_**Please, please don't favorite without reviewing**_


	2. marius

Marius refuses to allow tears to fall from his eyes. Crying is a weakness, and he's not weak. He's a Black and Blacks are strong.

So he stands before his father, his head held high and his eyes fixed on a point on the wall behind his father's head. "He disgraces the family name. He is no Black and no son of mine," his father speaks harshly. But Marius refuses to flinch as his father talks, even though the words sting him.

And his mother isn't sympathetic either. She looks down at him with disgust written clear on her face and no mercy in her eyes. "What will we do with him?" Violetta asks her husband.

He doesn't show how much it hurts him to hear his parents proclaim such terrible things. He was taught that showing emotions – especially hurt – is a weakness. So instead, he stands there silently, listening to every world-shattering word that his parents share and pretends it doesn't kill him.

He watches in silence as his father burns his face from the family tapestry. And he's no fool; he knows exactly what it means. They are removing him from their lives because he is different – a useless Squib – and different is disgraceful to the family name.

And Marius still refuses to shed a tear, because he's stronger than that. They may have just removed him from their lives, but they can't take his values and morals away from him. Because he's still a Black, through and through.

Only allowing him time to gather a few necessities, his parents issue their final order – "Leave this house and never come back."

With his head held high, Marius walks away from Grimmauld Place, away from the only life he ever knew without so much as a goodbye to his siblings. And that should hurt it; it should kill him but it doesn't. Because, in his eleven years of life, he's never felt so relieved.

It doesn't matter that he doesn't know where his next meal is going to come from. It doesn't even matter that he doesn't know where he'll be sleeping tonight. He's away from the torture and the excessive need to be perfect all the time. Away from a burden no eleven year old child should have to carry.

He's Marius Black and absolutely nothing can change that, because no one can take his name from him; and he knows that his name is the only thing he has left. So he has to make it mean something.

**A/n – This one just seemed to write itself. **

**Thanks so much to kci47 for beta-ing this for me! **

**Prompt used: goodbye.**


	3. sirius

_Phobos: Greek God of fear_

Sirius stands in front of a door. According to the map, there's no one on the other side, but he can hear banging coming from within. He spells the door unlocked and pushes it open carefully. Lighting the room so he can see, it appears empty. But then the chest in the corner of the room shakes violently.

He casts a spell to open it from where he's standing, not wanting to risk getting any closer. The lid of the chest throws open and the door behind him automatically slams shut. _So much for leaving_, he thinks to himself.

His eyes widen in shock as he watches himself climb out of the chest. _That's impossible._ For a few moments, he stares at himself, taking in every detail. Then he realizes what it is. A Boggart. Chuckling silently, he wonders why he would be his own worse fear.

"You're just like them," the Boggart taunts. "You can't escape your destiny. You'll always be like them."

Even though he knows better, Sirius takes the bait. "No, I'm not," he says through gritted teeth. "And I never will be."

"You are, though. You have their blood running through your veins. _You're just like them_," the Boggart-Sirius repeats. "Always loyal to people you care about. You're forgetting that it's a Black family trait. Just like you enjoy the popularity and power you get. Blacks have been drunk off that pleasure for _centuries_ now, and you're no different."

Sirius' hands ball into a fist as he tries to control his anger. _It's not true. It's not true,_ he chants to himself.

It's like the Boggart can read his mind. "But it is and you know it. Or you wouldn't try so hard to be different, to stand out. The problem is that you can never escape the darkness inside you, no matter how hard you try. It'll always be there. It'll always be waiting in the shadows, trying to consume you."

"It won't consume me," Sirius states. "I won't let it."

Boggart-Sirius smirks. "It has already. You left your own brother in the hands of your family. What kind of monster would do that?"

Sirius shakes his head. "I offered to take him. But he wouldn't go with me. He was terrified that if our parents found him with me that they would hurt me," he says in exasperation. "I wanted to save him. I really did."

"You can keep telling yourself that, but we both know it's not true. You wanted him to experience the same pain and torture you did," the Boggart replies easily. "And that's what your ancestors have been doing since the beginning: forcing others to feel their pain."

_That's not true. It's lying_, Sirius chants to himself again.

"And how did your friends forgive you for leading someone into a certain death?"

Sirius looks up, meeting the Boggart's gray eyes. "I didn't mean to. I was just so angry."

"James compared you to your family, didn't he? He said you're exactly like them," the Boggart says. "He's right; you are _exactly_ like them. Blacks can't control their tempers and neither can you. It's in your blood."

For the first time, Sirius finally remembers the spell to vanish the Boggart. He pulls out his wand and points it at the duplicate. Thinking of the funniest thing he can, he whispers, "_Riddikulus_."

But the Boggart doesn't change. "You can pretend to be anything you want, but you will always bleed Black."

Tuning the Boggart-Sirius out, he chants, "_Riddikulus_," several more times. When he finally opens his eyes, he starts laughing at the scene in front of him. He charms the Boggart back in the chest and leaves the room as quickly as he can.

**A/n – this is set sometime during Sirius' sixth or seventh year.**

**A bunch of thanks to Budapest All Over Again for beta-ing this. **


	4. andromedated

Andromeda sits on her bed; her knees up to her chest and her head resting on top of them. Her eyes are trained on the sky outside of her window, but her mind is elsewhere. She's waiting for the owl that will change her life forever.

Tomorrow is the day that she's due to marry Antonin Dolohov. But she can't. She's not in love with him and she will never learn to love him; she's tried for the past eight years. It's what expected of her, but she's done doing things that are expected of her. She's done being the perfect Black, the perfect daughter, the perfect sister, and most of all, the perfect Pureblood.

Because she's in love, undeniably, irrevocably in love. And that's what she wants to marry for; not because it's expected of her, because it's right, because it's her duty. Ted has come to mean so much to her that she just can't marry Antonin, because she knows it's wrong. But it's also wrong to give up everything she's ever known just for one person.

For Ted, though, she'd give up the world. She loves him that much and that's not ever going to change.

An owl taps softly on her window and she rushes to tend to it. Unraveling the scroll, only one word is written: _Yes_. She stares at the word for a few moments to make sure it doesn't change. Then she burns it.

Grabbing her schoolbag and casting a quick extension charm, she starts to fill it with her most prized possessions and necessities. She places her clothes in first before her box of keepsakes. The box contains all her letters and gifts from Ted over the past year and a half, and she won't leave that behind.

The last thing she grabs is the picture of her and her sisters a year before Bella headed to Hogwarts, back when they were all innocent and didn't completely understand the idea of betrothals. She rubs it affectionately before stowing it in her bag with the rest of her things.

Before leaving, she takes out a piece of parchment and scribbles two words.

_My apologies._

She doesn't sign it.

Leaving it on her bed, she Disapparates on the spot. She opens her eyes to see Ted standing before her. Andi smiles brightly at him before taking his offered hand. He pulls her close and his lips find hers, and she thinks that leaving everything is worth it because she has Ted.

**A/n – prompt used: apology.**

**A huge thanks to kci47 who beta'd this for me. **


	5. sirius and james

Sirius collapses on the unforgiving floor as he watches Severus' robes sway behind him as he disappears down the vacant hallway. He's stunned, not by a spell but by fear. A hundred thoughts are running through his head, but only one keeps repeating.

_Oh, Merlin. What have I done?_

He sits there, with his head buried in his hands, wondering how to fix this…this mistake. Because it _is_ a mistake. He didn't mean to tell Snape how to find Remus.

_Remus. _

His name echoes in Sirius' head. He just did the one thing he never thought he'd do. He betrayed his friends and their trust. And how is he ever going to make it up to them? How are they ever going to forgive him?

Picking himself up, Sirius makes his way to Gryffindor tower to face the consequences. Because he's no coward. But once the Fat Lady opens, he freezes for a half a moment. Sirius breathes in deeply and finds his inner strength.

"Where have you been? We've been waiting for you," James says, jumping up from the couch. He lowers his voice to a whisper. "Moonrise is in an hour."

Sirius pales. He'd forgotten that tonight is a full moon. And then he panics and his heart starts racing, and a million different scenarios are rushing through his mind at break-neck speeds.

In Sirius' panic, he doesn't realize that Peter has moved to stand next to James. "Are you alright, mate? You look a little pale," Peter asks, concerned. "If you don't feel up to it, I guess we can handle Moony by ourselves."

When Sirius doesn't answer, James eyes him curiously. "Padfoot, what's going on?"

"I told Snape how to find Remus," Sirius finally murmurs. He looks down at the ground, ashamed.

James stares at him. "You did what?" he questions, his voice dangerously low. His hazel eyes flash in anger and Sirius knows that he's seriously screwed up. Hesitantly, Sirius repeats his statement clearer. When he does, James eyes fill with fury. "I thought you were better than that. But I was wrong. You're nothing more than a Black," he growls bitterly.

With that, James shoves his way pass Sirius. Before he leaves, he turns to Peter. "If he attempts to move, hex him." Peter nods, even though he knows that he could never take Sirius on in a duel.

The portrait hole slams shut behind James, leaving the entire common room in stunned silence, watching Peter and Sirius closely. "I've really messed up this time, haven't I, Wormtail?" Sirius asks, still staring at nothing in particular.

"Yeah," Peter agrees. "I've never seen Prongs that angry before."

Sirius sighs. "Neither have I." Without another word, he takes the steps up to his dorm two at a time. He throws himself on the bed and wonders exactly how he's going to fix it this time. Counting the cracks in the ceiling, he waits for news.

It's half past four in the morning before his dorm door opens again. He sits up, and is greeted by Peter and James. Throwing a disgusted look toward Sirius, James speaks. "He's alive. Professor Dumbledore had him swear never to reveal Moony's secret. Not that you'd care."

But Sirius knows better than to argue with James, no matter how much he really wants to. Because James is furious with him and arguing isn't going to change that. In fact, it'll only make it worse. So, Sirius just lets the silence hang in the air.

"What were you thinking?" James finally demands. "Moony could've killed him if I didn't save him."

"I wasn't trying to hurt him, James," Sirius replies softly, almost too quietly. "It was never about Moony. I was just angry at Snape. And that doesn't excuse what I've done. I know it doesn't."

James turns away from Sirius. "You'll tell Moony in the morning, but it doesn't mean we're good, by any means."

Sirius nods because he knows it's only right for him to deal with the consequences. But he's terrified because James' reaction will be nothing compared to Remus'. And, even though it's difficult, Sirius finds the courage to go sit by Remus' bedside.

He can only hope that Remus can forgive him.

**A/n – prompt used: concern. Also, this was written for the Stretch Your Limit comp. Medium level: write a fic about Sirius' first loss. Umm, this was James' loss of trust in Sirius. The prompt – finding strength is harder than losing it – more inspired this than anything. **

**A huge thanks to Budapest All Over Again for beta-ing this for me! **


	6. regulus and sirius

**Pairing: Regulus**

**Prompt: guidance**

Also written for the one hour, two drabble challenge where I had Regulus and the prompt flesh. Words: 299

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Regulus hears his brother drag his trunk down the hallway, as quietly as possible. But the sounds echo in Regulus' ear. He had known this day was a long time coming. Sirius could never be happy in a house full of snakes, not at least with all his lion pride.

Sirius finally broke, and Regulus couldn't find it in himself to blame his brother. Not entirely of course. Regulus is just surprised that it took him four summers to break, to decide that they weren't his family anymore, _he _wasn't family.

To Sirius, Regulus is just someone who shares the same flesh and bones and blood. But he isn't family. Sirius' _family_ is a bunch of blood-traitors and Half-bloods. Because they cared when his own blood didn't, when Regulus pretended he didn't.

So as much as Regulus wants to beg Sirius to stay, he doesn't. He may need Sirius for guidance and support since his own parents are cold and distant, but Sirius can't stay any longer. So he lets Sirius drag his trunk down the hallway in the middle of the night, and pretends he doesn't hear it, pretends that he's going to be alright without Sirius there.

But he knows he isn't. He lies in bed and stares at the ceiling, hating himself for not being a better brother, hating Sirius' friends for being more of a family than he could ever be. But letting Sirius walk out the door without a goodbye is what he deserves, and Regulus is going to give that to him.

Tomorrow, when his parents wake up to find Sirius gone, Regulus feigns confusion. But when he's in his room and reality hits, tears sting the back of his eyes, and yet he refuses to shed them because he will be strong.


End file.
